Where is the moral high ground for this election? South Dakotans react to Trump's conviction: Your letters

Your letters to the editor for June 9, 2024:

Will a Trump win be four years of retribution?

After losing the support of his fellow Republicans, Richard Nixon resigned still claiming he was no crook. Convicted felon Donald Trump, supported unequivocally by Republican leaders, claims innocence from everything and threatens to go after his adversaries when he is elected.Good luck America if he wins in November and subjects us all to four years of personal retribution instead of governing.

− Jackie Austin, Rock Rapids, Iowa

Trump's conviction versus Clinton's disgraces

Well, I guess hatred, disgust or insanity or perhaps all three have prevailed over the U.S. Constitution. Or so some might believe. The recent "conviction" of Donald Trump on all 34 "trumped" up charges have proven that at least one of the political parties in our country is incapable of practicing restraint and it would appear that it isn't the Democrats.Back in July of 2016, the director of the FBI, James Comey, an establishment Republican elite, came before the cameras and admitted that evidence showed that the Democrat presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, had committed a number of crimes involving classified emails on an unauthorized server that she was using to cover up her activities her time as Secretary of State and during the campaign. He came to the conclusion that because she was running for office and he could not ascertain any "criminal intent" that no logical prosecutor would seek indictments on any of the matters in their investigation of her. As it turns out he may have been correct.Fast forward to August 8, 2022 when FBI agents authorized by the Biden administration to use "deadly force", raided his Mar-a-Lago residence in search of classified documents they felt were being stored in an unauthorized location. I fail to see the difference except that Trump was president and had the authority to deem any piece of paper "unclassified" if he chose, and Clinton wasn't. Both were accused by their political opponents of possessing classified documents and storing them in a manner not authorized by the rules that govern the handling of classified information.Now let us harken back to LIttle Rock, Arkansas in 1991 when Paula Jones claimed that Bill Clinton, then governor of Arkansas invited her to his room and exposed himself to her. She was a state government employee whom Clinton invited to his room. She would have to show up, he was the governor. If she didn't, she could lose her job. She showed up and Willie exposed himself. She didn't ask him to. At that moment I can only imagine that she would have sooner been almost anyplace else, yet nothing was ever done about it. She sued him for sexual harassment and he settled out of court for $ 850,000. Of course that prevented the truth from coming out in court and some would deem it "hush money".Now move forward with me to Stormy Daniels who claims she had consensual sex with Donald Trump. Trump denies it ever happened. Supposedly Trump paid Daniels money to not come forward with what he claimed was a false accusation during the campaign of 2016. In essence he paid her to sign a non-disclosure agreement. The same thing Bill Clinton did with Ms. Jones, he paid her to minimize the embarrassment her testimony might cause his wife and daughter . Clinton's may have been a civil suit settlement, but the payment was made to prevent the civil suit from going to trial where the testimony would have been damning to Clinton. Trump claims to have entered into a legal and binding contract with Daniels to protect his family from the embarrassment that Daniels claims could cause them. The state of New York says one is legal and the other is not. That may be so, but neither is the appropriate action to take. Entering into a legal and binding contract is indictable if your name is Trump and the prosecutor is from a liberal state, but settling a civil suit out of court is perfectly fine if you are a Clinton.− Randy Amundson, Sioux Falls

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Where's Washington High's 65th Reunion?

Hey, Washington High School Class of 1959.  Why no 65^th Reunion this year?

We are all in our early 80’s (no small fete) and this would be the perfect (and possibly last) opportunity for us all to get together, renew friendships, share memories, find out what everyone has been doing, and just have a good old great time with each other.  If we wait until our 70^th Reunion, the few of us remaining will be in our upper 80’s and the reunion will probably have to be held at an assisted living facility!

The committee has done an absolutely exception job of organizing and executing our reunions and they all deserve our thanks for a job very well done.  But, like the rest of us, they too are getting older and it is understandable that they may feel they have dome their share and it is time for others of us to step up, grab the ball and run with it.  I for one would be happy to volunteer to do whatever is needed to have a successful reunion this year and I am sure there are others who would be happy to help as well.  Just ask for help and let us know what needs to be done.

If you agree with me that we should have a reunion this year, send me an email at pratt.daryl@comcast.net to indicate your agreement and have any other classmates that you know who feel the same email me too.  Hey, we are the Warriors.  We can make this happen!

− Daryl G. Pratt, WHS Class of ‘59, Arlington Heights, Illinois

It's time for SD government to practice what it preaches

I am writing this letter in response to the proposed site for a new men’s penitentiary in Lincoln County, especially the Secretary of Corrections stand and comments regarding Lincoln County’s involvement.It seems concerning to me that a political appointee should hold not only the power to simply override a county’s input and decisions but, more so, that said appointee would take the stand that a county’s rights to self determination are “absurd”. I do not doubt that our state is experiencing overcrowding in our prisons. I understand that more beds are needed for our prisoners. I also understand that those who violate the laws of this state need to pay their debt to society. But at what cost?For decades SouthDakota has taken the stand that state government should not be overruled by the federal government agencies and I wholeheartedly agree. Our current state administration is quite vocal that South Dakotans should be able to determine what is best for South Dakota, again I wholeheartedly agree. The Secretary of Corrections stand on this issue is 180 degrees off from the ideals of the freedom and grassroots control of where we live. It has been shown that government works best the closer said government is to its citizens.To me, this appears to be a power grab by big government over small government. Is this not what the majority of this state consistently stands against? The government of Lincoln County is no less legitimate of a government than the state is, it is simply smaller, and its decisions definitely must be validated.The lack of options presented to ease overcrowding in the corrections system is also concerning to me. It seems to me that there must be other options to be considered, but the DOC is not presenting any others. This lack of “transparency “ is a major factor in public distrust in government. If this is not a lack of transparency, that can only mean that there is actually a lack of vision and creativity within the department. Either way, this should raise a red flag.To me, what is ABSURD is that the DOC behaving towards Lincoln County in the exact same manner the federal government acts towards South Dakota when South Dakota screams loudest. I absolutely love being a South Dakotan. I love that I feel that my voice as a resident of this great state can be heard by its government. I love the freedoms that South Dakota encourages. The cost of the near sighted “because I told you so” attitude of the Secretary of Corrections to the power of the voters, the Lincoln County Commission, and the citizens of South Dakota is far higher than the monetary cost of this endeavor. It is my belief that we need to do better and actually practice what we preach.− Robert Freese, Sioux Falls

A government of the people versus campaign ads

Abraham Lincoln stated in the Gettysburg Address that a “Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth”. There is great wisdom in those words, and make note, it doesn’t say a “government of people that can be bought with campaign contributions for the people that donated them”.Recently there have been many ads airing on radio and TV concerning the carbon pipeline that is being proposed through South Dakota. The ad states that it is a “win-win” solution and will benefit every South Dakotan. It is definitely a win for politicians that are running for re-election this year and support the pipeline agenda in the state legislature. Campaign contributions are public record and can be found at sdsos.gov then campaign finance. Many of the PACS, lobbyists, and individuals that have a financial interest in carbon capture and its’ financial incentives, have donated to the legislators that pushed through many of the bills that have taken away property rights for many South Dakota landowners, our townships and counties.This past session, SB201 was passed, and it is a bill that takes away all regulating control away from counties and townships and gives it to the Public Utilities Commission for new pipeline installation. The legislators that voted for the bill and are up for re-election are being rewarded with financial donations, especially if their opponent is running on the platform of preserving property rights in South Dakota. There is currently a petition drive going on to get signatures to refer this bill to a public vote, I would encourage every registered voter in South Dakota to sign the petition. Let the people decide who is best to make the decisions impacting hazardous pipeline safety and property rights by referring it to a public vote.I would also encourage you to research the candidates and make sure that our legislators are representing us and not special interest groups. Don’t let paid media ads make your decision for you – political wins should not be based on who has the most money to spend! That is a guaranteed method of handing over our government to the special interest groups. Landowner rights were granted in the constitution. Are we willing to sacrifice those rights for the promise from an out of state company that “it will benefit every South Dakotan”? It sounds too good to be true….John Lennon said, “The people have the power, all we have to do is awaken it”. This issue may not directly affect you, but if we allow this constitutional right to be sold to the highest bidder, what right that is important to you, will they be willing to “sell” next? Please research your candidates and let’s return it to a democracy that Abe Lincoln envisioned, one that is “for the people”.

− John Schutte, Canton

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Where is the high, moral ground?

I mourn what is becoming of our country and it is FAR more due to unbending fealty of the MAGA crowd to Donald Trump and his “wannabe” minions like Kristi Noem. Trump’s felony conviction has hardened the polarization rather than increase the likelihood that his supporters could possibly entertain the thought that he actually did something wrong. Trump’s response to the verdict was formulaic: “Disgrace”, “Victim”, “I did nothing wrong”, “Rigged”. The rants are ad nauseum! And there’s a recurring theme there: “Rigged trial” is merely a continuation of “Stolen election”. To say “I/he did nothing wrong” is to say that arranging to buy and bury damaging stories about his sex life and falsifying business records to support those efforts is OK. What I’ve heard and believe is this: Trump is not uniquely targeted by his political opponents (Democrats especially) as much as he is uniquely dishonest among American presidents and uniquely vulnerable to criminal prosecution. This man is not and never has been a paragon of virtue and integrity. The Trump organization was convicted on 17 felony counts; it’s CFO went to jail for tax fraud and for lying under oath. Remember “Trump University”  and it’s settled fraud lawsuit? And then there are the criminal charges in Georgia for efforts to overturn the 2020 election, not to mention Florida and the classified documents case. Victim? And I haven’t even mentioned January 6^th. Even Mitch McConnell was willing to say that Trump was “practically and morally responsible” for what happened on Jan 6. But Republicans could NOT muster the moral gumption to act. What seems to be true of Trump and his die-hard supporters is that they are quick to use law and order rhetoric and process with the southern border or Hunter Biden, but categorically dismiss it when looking in the mirror with Donald Trump. I have yet to hear a South Dakota Republican leader say otherwise. The most you can say for John Thune and Mike Rounds is that they are very measured in their words. As for Kristi Noem, I’ve heard it say that virtually everything she has done or said for the past two years has been to an audience of one, Donald Trump. Nothing has changed there. Remember who’s auditioning for what. Our country is the worse for all this. As for the Republican Party, if there’s a path here it is NOT to higher, moral ground. Power, perhaps…a continuation of minority rule, perhaps, but NOT high, moral ground.

− Bill Kubat, Sioux Falls

A tale of two presidential candidates

It is next to impossible to find two presidential candidates as morally and ethically challenged, yet alone the respective presidential nominees of the Democrat and Republican parties as Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

Yet, here we are, stuck choosing between one candidate (Biden) who pretends to be a practicing Catholic who never misses an opportunity to flaunt his rosary in public, yet has rejected most of the church’s teachings, specifically on abortion and has used his political power to extract political favors and line his pockets with $$.

The other (Trump), who at the end of March started peddling Bibles for the low bargain price of $59.99 in order to raise money for his presidential run in a call for the country to return to Christianity. This coming from a man who has never, if ever attended church on a regular basis, yet alone belong to any specific denomination. This coming from a man who has cheated on all three of his wives, has committed numerous infidelities, and used profanity on the campaign trail during the 2016 campaign. Fair or unfair, Trump is now a convicted felon, having been found guilty of falsifying business records relating to hush money paid to porno star Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about an affair the two had years ago.

Yet the behavior of both candidates does not seem to bother their supporters. It should be deeply offensive to voters from both sides that their candidates are using religious symbols such as bibles and rosaries to promote their presidential runs and to turn a profit. How much further can our country’s ethical and moral standards continue to fall, especially with regards to the highest office in the land?

− Steve Heisinger, Sioux Falls

A tribute to Jan Nicolay

We are recalling a time when Jan Nicolay met with some low-income moms in the mobile home of one of them in Sioux Falls. They explained to her how certain policies were impacting their families. She asked them about their priorities. Medicaid for their children was their biggest concern. Because SD's income cut-off for children's Medicaid was so low, their children were not eligible.

That cut-off was lower than federally allowed, so Rep. Nicolay led her committee to raise that limit.

In the process, one low-income mother testified in person at Nicolay’s Appropriations committee in Pierre. She was especially concerned for her sons, who had witnessed abuse. She wanted them to get the counseling that Medicaid would provide through their teen years, so that they would not grow up to be abusers also. The mother was right. Now her sons are grown and proving to be great husbands, fathers, and the kind, gentle men we wish all our sons to become.

Legislators can take a lesson from Jan Nicolay and listen to people they are serving before making decisions that affect them. Thank you, Jan, for your service to people.

− Judee Howard and Cathy Brechtelsbauer, Sioux Falls

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This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Where is the moral high ground for this election? South Dakotans react to Trump's conviction: Your letters